I'm a 4th of July lover. When it comes to holidays, the 4th of July happens to be at the top of my list. It's a holiday that you spend with family and friends, yet there is very little stress involved. Aside from deciding what food to make, and what fireworks to attend.....

This 4th of July we are having some friends and coworkers over to celebrate and I plan on going all out. I usually end up doing more for the 4th than I do any other holiday. I'm a first generation American. This is my country. And I'm damn proud of it.

I saw this idea for the painted bushel baskets on the Michaels website and I fell in love with them. I knew this was something I could whip up in just an hour or so and then share with you all. You will have no problem getting these done by the 4th. And they hardly cost anything.

You need very few supplies. Be sure to use a Michaels coupon to really keep the cost down. The handkerchiefs can be found in the t-shirt aisle at Michaels as well.

Simply paint the wood bands on the sides of the basket alternating each band with red and white paint. I used a 1 inch paint brush which seemed to work really well. When the paint is dry, arrange the handkerchief in the basket and you are done!

You can use these basket for so many different things at a BBQ or picnic.

Here are some ideas:

buns

chips

plasticware

serving utensils

plates

napkins

put an ice bucket inside of it

make it a centerpiece and add a flower pot

juice boxes for the kids

soda or beer

When you are done using the baskets, you can easily pull out the handkerchief and then shake it out, or wash if necessary. The less clean up involved the better.

I have a feeling I'm going to do this for Halloween too! It would be a great way to hand out candy since the basket has a nice handle! And Halloween themed handkerchiefs are easy to find!

If you like these baskets, be sure to share with your friends on Facebook, or pin on Pinterest! I really appreciate it!

I have a confession to make, I LOOOOVE a good wreath. And I love making them as well since you can create them yourself for considerably less than what they charge in the store. I like to be able to change them out with the seasons and holidays for a new look. It's an easy way to change up the decor without spending too much. Remember, the DIY Robin's Eggs Tutorial? Well, I decided to incorporate a few of those eggs into a Rustic Easter Wreath for Rose's living room to go with her Chalk Painted Furniture.

I have come to realize I’m not so good at taking a picture of what supplies you’ll need because once I start making the wreaths, ideas just pop into my head and I start adding stuff that I was not originally planning to. But that usually works in my favor and it turns out looking better than what plan A was! So I apologize for not having a complete picture of the supplies I used. You should definitely use items that match your decor & style. The photo below is just a starting point showing you how easy wreaths can be.

Supplies:

Grapevine wreath (Hobby Lobby has the cheapest ones. The one I used here was $5 and was on sale for 50% off so it was only $2.50!)

Hot glue gun

A few flowers, twigs, and/or berry-type stems. I used 4 different kinds.

Spanish Moss

Wire cutters

Robin’s Eggs

So this might be the shortest tutorial ever, but you’ll see why. The grapevine wreaths are my favorite to work with because it’s so easy to just stick the flowers, picks, and stem right in it and hide the wires without needing to glue anything. I usually wrap them around a twig or two in the wreath to make sure it’s secure, but they stay pretty well. Not using glue gives you the freedom to change your mind too in case you don’t like where you put it.

I start by cutting the branches off the stems so I can put them where I want. I like to lay the stems on top of the wreath in different ways until I like how it looks. Then I take a picture of it so that when I take them all off, I know where to start sticking them into the wreath. Here’s where it gets fun and it starts to come together. Use the picture as a reference and start putting the stems in and tucking the ends in and around the twigs in the grapevine. I left a little spot empty in the bottom right because I knew that was where I wanted to put the nest and have it hanging over the front.

The nest is the only part I used any glue for, and it was the last step I did. Once your stems are all in place, just start taking chunks of moss and use the hot glue to hold it in place and make a nest shape, leaving some moss to hang down. Once you have the moss glued on, just use a little hot glue to make the eggs stay in the nest and you’re set.

If it's time for the kids to unplug from the TV or their video games, and they have a little bit of a Minecraft addiction, here is an easy craft for them to do that is Minecraft themed!

When my friend Traci was struggling to find Minecraft birthday decorations for her son's birthday cake on short notice, she decided to make them herself with Perler Beads! The pixelated effect that the Perler Beads fuse into are so fitting for Minecraft! What's so great about using Perler Beads for Minecraft designs is that the kids can get creative and use any pattern of colors they want!

All you need is a bucket of Perler Beads, square pegboard, ironing paper, and iron. If you have never used Perler Beads before, be sure to read the instructions on the package.

Above are a few examples of the patterns you can use. I would suggest the kids look at their Minecraft game case, toys, or find images online for ideas.

Minecraft Perler Beads can be used for so many different things! The ones shown above were used on a birthday cake. You can also use them as a key chain, magnet, necklace, school project diorama, attached to a friend's birthday card, attached to a hair clip, and more!

I've recently fallen in love with chalk painting. I can't seem to get enough and I've been been painting everything in sight in my living room. By no means am I a chalk painting expert. I'm definitely a chalk painting newbie and I want to show you all how easy it is. I'll warn you now though, there are lots of photos!

Here is a super easy project that not only adds a little bling to your purse or key chain, but it also keeps a cloth handy to clean your smartphone screen! My family can never seem to keep track of the little screen cleaner cloths that come with your phone or screen protector, and personally I think they are just too small.

This is a no-sew project and costs just a few dollars to make!

When shopping for fabric, be sure to look for a polyester spandex mix. The fabric needs to be lint free and somewhat stretchy. I found several different fabrics in the swimsuit fabric section at Joanne's.

Supplies needed:

Fabric

Lobster Clasp (found at Michael's in the jewelry making section)

Split Ring (found at Michael's in the jewelry making section)

Scissor

There are a few fabrics that are a polyester spandex mix that may need a finished edge sewn on, otherwise it will fray. If you don't sew (like me), you will want to stick to the swimsuit material. Even better, cut up an old swim suit that you are no longer using!

Here are the super simple instructions below!

Be sure to attach the lobster clasp to your splint ring first!

Some fabrics do better with rolling and others do better with the accordion fold. It also depends on what kind of look you are going for. Just be sure to knot the fabric like shown above, so you are able to remove it in the future to wash.